My life is at a really strange point right now. In a little over a month I will have my teaching credential and will embark on the journey of trying to secure a teaching job, not the easiest thing to do right now, especially here in Orange County. To be completely honest though, I’m really not worried about it. I’m definitely considering applying for jobs out of the area/state, even though the idea of moving somewhere new, completely on my own, does scare me just a little, but then on the other hand, it would be such a leap out of my comfort zone, and could be a totally fun adventure.
I’ve never lived anywhere but Orange, other than the 4 years that I spent at Biola..a whopping 20 minutes from home..so the idea of moving somewhere like Seattle, or the Bay Area, somewhere on the East Coast, or even Maui, is just a little intriguing. On the flip side, though, all of my family is here, most of my friends are here, and I’m super involved at my church, all things to consider…we’ll see what happens. There is potential for landing a teaching job nearby though..I’m applying to a Christian school in Corona (thanks for the tip Michelle!) that is actually hiring elementary teachers for next year, a rarity right now, so I’m interested to see what happens with that.
As I was reminded by someone last week, God is bigger than everything. He is beyond capable of putting me in the exact right spot to land the perfect teaching job for me, if that is part of his plan..so with that being said, I’m excited to see how the next few months play out..
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Monday, April 5, 2010
Purpose in the Delays..
Pastor Philip's Easter message yesterday could not have been any more encouraging for where I'm at right now. I so badly needed the reminder of the fact that God is present in every single part of my life, whether things are going out of this world amazing, or whether I am faced with tests and trials that seem like they are never going to end. God ordains every single circumstance in my life to happen for a specific reason, even things that I look back on with total confusion as to why they had to happen. His timing is absolutely perfect and he uses everything that happens to me, good or bad, to work out for good. Romans 8:24-32 have really become my life verses this past year, specifically Romans 8:28 "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Things have happened that have caused me to sit back and begin to question God and ask "why?, what was the point?" but then I'm hit with the fact that I’m questioning God, the creator of universe, about the way that he is ordering my life.. really? Who am I to do that?
Another thing that Pastor Philip touched on during his message yesterday, and really my main reason for this post, was about the way that God uses delays in our lives. He said that sometimes we feel that when we pray to God about something, we are talking into static, that there is no one on the other end of the line, that God isn’t listening to our heartfelt cries…so not true. There is a purpose behind everything that God allows in our lives, and there is a specific purpose for the way that he answers each and every prayer that we offer up to him. The thing that stuck out the most to me from the message yesterday was when Pastor Philip said that when God delays in answering a prayer, it doesn’t mean that he hasn’t heard our prayer, or that there is a problem, it simply means that there is a greater purpose to be accomplished, that can only be accomplished through the delay. Through the delays God develops our character, he causes us to cling tighter to him and further submit our lives and our will up to him. Through the delays he is formulating a greater blessing than I could ever imagine, and something that will bring him more glory than if he were to allow things to work out in my way, in my timing. God’s way and Gods’ timing are so much better, though I struggle with believing and accepting this time and time again.
Trials come in life to help you grow in your faith, to add something to your life that wasn’t there before. It’s so easy to question God when things in life start getting tough, or when things don’t work out the way that you planned, but God is so much greater than our trials and ultimately uses them to bring him more glory through the testing of our faith. 1 Peter 1: 6-7 says, “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith- of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire- may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.” I find it so comforting to be reminded of the fact that God uses the trials in my life to refine my faith, and make it so much stronger than it was before. My genuine faith in him is more valuable and more precious than gold. How cool is that? If you are going through a trial, “consider it pure joy…whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” James 1:2-4. There is a purpose behind everything that happens in your life, there is no such thing as coincidence or happenstance..there are no flukes or accidents..God allows everything that happens in your life for a specific purpose.
Things may happen in life that make absolutely no sense to you, that cause you to question if God momentarily checked out of your life when something was happening to you, but I assure you that God uses everything that happens to you to bring about his perfect work in your life. That has been one of the biggest lessons that I have been learning lately. God is bigger than everything, bigger than anything you will ever be faced with in life. He is the God of the impossible. He delights in bringing things to fruition in your life that appear to be absolutely out of the question, and beyond impossible according to human reason, because it is in those things that he is able to best display his power and ultimately receive the greatest amount of glory.
I’ll end with a quote from the devotional book, Streams in the Desert, a book I HIGHLY recommend…“The disappointments of life are simply the hidden appointments of love.”
Letting go…
Another thing that Pastor Philip touched on during his message yesterday, and really my main reason for this post, was about the way that God uses delays in our lives. He said that sometimes we feel that when we pray to God about something, we are talking into static, that there is no one on the other end of the line, that God isn’t listening to our heartfelt cries…so not true. There is a purpose behind everything that God allows in our lives, and there is a specific purpose for the way that he answers each and every prayer that we offer up to him. The thing that stuck out the most to me from the message yesterday was when Pastor Philip said that when God delays in answering a prayer, it doesn’t mean that he hasn’t heard our prayer, or that there is a problem, it simply means that there is a greater purpose to be accomplished, that can only be accomplished through the delay. Through the delays God develops our character, he causes us to cling tighter to him and further submit our lives and our will up to him. Through the delays he is formulating a greater blessing than I could ever imagine, and something that will bring him more glory than if he were to allow things to work out in my way, in my timing. God’s way and Gods’ timing are so much better, though I struggle with believing and accepting this time and time again.
Trials come in life to help you grow in your faith, to add something to your life that wasn’t there before. It’s so easy to question God when things in life start getting tough, or when things don’t work out the way that you planned, but God is so much greater than our trials and ultimately uses them to bring him more glory through the testing of our faith. 1 Peter 1: 6-7 says, “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith- of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire- may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.” I find it so comforting to be reminded of the fact that God uses the trials in my life to refine my faith, and make it so much stronger than it was before. My genuine faith in him is more valuable and more precious than gold. How cool is that? If you are going through a trial, “consider it pure joy…whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” James 1:2-4. There is a purpose behind everything that happens in your life, there is no such thing as coincidence or happenstance..there are no flukes or accidents..God allows everything that happens in your life for a specific purpose.
Things may happen in life that make absolutely no sense to you, that cause you to question if God momentarily checked out of your life when something was happening to you, but I assure you that God uses everything that happens to you to bring about his perfect work in your life. That has been one of the biggest lessons that I have been learning lately. God is bigger than everything, bigger than anything you will ever be faced with in life. He is the God of the impossible. He delights in bringing things to fruition in your life that appear to be absolutely out of the question, and beyond impossible according to human reason, because it is in those things that he is able to best display his power and ultimately receive the greatest amount of glory.
I’ll end with a quote from the devotional book, Streams in the Desert, a book I HIGHLY recommend…“The disappointments of life are simply the hidden appointments of love.”
Letting go…
Learning to let go..
I've wanted to start a blog for a while now, but never quite knew how to start, or what to write about. I love to write, and I love to journal, so I figured I would just start a blog to share about the things that God is doing in my life, and the things that he is teaching me...biggest lesson I've been learning lately...learning to let go of things and let God have control to work things out in his way, and in his timing..hence the title of my blog: "Letting Go"..below are the lyrics from the Tenth Avenue North song, Let it Go, a song that has been a great reminder to me of the peace and joy that are found when we surrender it all to God and let him have control..I hope you'll be encouraged!
I've been holding on so tight
Look at these knuckles
They've gone white
I'm fighting for who I wanna be
I'm just trying to find security
But You say let it go, You say let it go
You say life is waiting for the one's who lose control
You say you will be, everything I need
You said if I lose my life it's then I'll find my soul
You say let it go.
Well it's hard enough to hear
Harder still, to move beyond this fear
We know there's nothing I can bring,
So tell me what do you want from me?
But You say let it go, You say let it go
You say life is waiting for the one's who lose control
You say You will be, everything I need
You said if I lose my life it's then I'll find my soul
You say let it go, You say let it go
I've been holding on so tight
Look at these knuckles
They've gone white
I'm fighting for who I wanna be
I'm just trying to find security
But You say let it go, You say let it go
You say life is waiting for the one's who lose control
You say you will be, everything I need
You said if I lose my life it's then I'll find my soul
You say let it go.
Well it's hard enough to hear
Harder still, to move beyond this fear
We know there's nothing I can bring,
So tell me what do you want from me?
But You say let it go, You say let it go
You say life is waiting for the one's who lose control
You say You will be, everything I need
You said if I lose my life it's then I'll find my soul
You say let it go, You say let it go
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